The text of the following statement was released by the governments of the United States and Honduras as part of the strategic and human rights dialogues.
In a bilateral strategic and human rights dialogue, the governments of the Republic of Honduras and the United States reaffirmed their continued commitment to jointly address the root causes of illegal migration and forced displacement.
Both countries are committed to promoting and deepening their bilateral relations and improving the lives of their peoples by making concerted efforts to strengthen good governance, strengthen the rule of law, fight corruption and respect, promote and guarantee human rights.
With these goals in mind, both governments decided to actively work together to address insecurity and economic inequality to support sustainable development, mitigate climate change, address food security and humanely manage migration, including responding to internally displaced people and others in need of protection.
Honduras and the United States agreed to formalize an initial $33 million investment to increase access to relevant and quality education.
Through its programs, USAID has supported the Ministry of Education’s education system to provide schools, safe community spaces, and flexible alternatives to meet the needs of non-secondary youth. The private sector joins in by supporting infrastructure investments in schools as a priority for the Ministry of Education.
The Honduran government welcomed ongoing efforts under the North Central America Appeal, which, under the leadership of Vice President Harris, has leveraged more than $3.2 billion in private sector investment to create economic opportunities for the people of the region.
As part of our governments’ joint efforts to end hunger at the Summit of the Americas, USAID is investing an additional $10 million to increase agricultural productivity in Honduras, including support for improved local production and efficient use of fertilizers. In addition, the United States Departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security are working with the Government of Honduras to implement best practices to ensure that agricultural products are imported into Honduras.
Demonstrating their mutual commitment to the protection of human rights through the implementation of the mechanism of human rights defenders, journalists, social partners and legal workers, they announced their intention to sign a joint memorandum of understanding that defines specific measures against domestic and gender-based. while increasing support for survivors.
Both governments reaffirmed their mutual commitment to promote labor rights through fair labor laws and working conditions.
The United States recognizes the efforts of the government of President Xiomara Castro to protect and preserve forests, which will contribute to mitigating climate change and preserving the environment in Honduras.
The National Electric Company initiated measures to build hydroelectric dams, renewable energy projects, and deploy clean energy technologies.
The United States Government welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Republic of Honduras and the United Nations to establish an independent, impartial and autonomous International Commission Against Impunity and Corruption in Honduras (CICIH). against organized crime and corruption networks operating in Honduras.
Both governments announced their intention to immediately sign an agreement to transfer to the appropriate authorities more than $1 million in seized assets laundered into the United States as part of a public corruption scheme involving the Honduran Social Security Institute under the previous administration.
In efforts to address irregular migration and forced displacement and promote safe, orderly, humane and legal migration, the United States and Honduras reaffirmed their commitment to regional cooperation and implementation of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection and their role in the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (Spanish acronym known as MIRPS) and the MIRPS Support Platform.
Mutually understanding the complex security situation inherited by Honduras, both governments committed to strengthen and expand cooperation to increase civilian security, in particular supporting the Honduran government’s efforts to combat impunity and organized crime.
